Wait, Is CDG Play Getting Serious?

It isn’t easy being COMME des GARÇONS Play. It can often feel too cutesy, too mass-market, compared to the other brands in founder Rei Kawakubo’s dense constellation of COMME. Part of that is CDG Play’s cartoonish little heart mascot, meant to symbolize a sense of (you guessed it) playfulness — but really just setting the line apart from more “serious” sub-labels. 

But perhaps it's time we put some respect on CDG Play. Because, actually, a new collection of heart-adorned pieces, dropping at an upcoming Market Play pop-up in Tokyo, is not bad. The clothes might even be a bit cool, in a maximalist gaudy way.

Hear us out. There’s the standout motorcycle jacket, designed alongside longtime collaborator Lewis Leathers — a.k.a. Britain’s oldest motorcycle gear label. Its burly black leather is softened by a burst of Play hearts spreading across the chest. Think of it as a lighter version of Supreme’s Fall/Winter 2026 logomaxxing leather jacket; each piece shows the labels leaning into their branding in a way that transcends tackiness. 

Hell, even CDG Play’s simple white tee, with its grip of trompe-l'œil chains and a red logo heart, echoes the long-forgotten (but still covetable) Chrome Hearts x CDG chain shirt.

Maybe the antidote to fashion’s overly serious, aggressively understated palette was right in front of us the entire time? As twee as CDG Play can be at its worst, the label that literally wears its heart on its sleeve (or chest) still sometimes hits.

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